Huge thanks to Marc Guss and his guest tonight on the Marc Guss Voiceover Club, Erikka J! Erikka, the “natural born hustler,” musician, and rising VO star, talked about the evolution of VO talent success with Marc tonight.
Erikka discussed how she started out as a musician, writing and releasing her own music. She works full time as a project manager for the Department of Defense and is the mom of two boys — and she has a baby on the way (Congrats!) When she heard about voiceover she dove in, saying that she loved this new way of communicating with her voice and the psychology of it. Plus, VO offered a better lifestyle and more family time compared to being on the road as a musician.
She said that after a few years of some success here and there, she wanted to dig in and try to understand how to elevate her career. She committed her “extra time” to focus on learning through classes, webinars, podcasts — she wanted to figure out why she wasn’t connecting the dots, she said. Her dedication paid off and her career started to take off.
Marc told Erikka that he saw her on stage at VO Atlanta this year and said “you were captivating and had so much value to provide to the audience.” I wasn’t at VO Atlanta, but I did see Erikka speak on a panel and host her own session at eVOcation last month, and I completely agree with Marc’s opinion. Her presentation about Work-Life Balance was so encouraging to me, (as I also try to balance kids with my freelance writing work and my VO career), and I’m thankful that I had a chance to talk to Erikka tonight and tell her how much her words meant to me.
Marc also mentioned that Erikka was reliable, and she explained that she appreciates the partnership that she has with her reps, saying that she feels like she’s on a team and they are all trying to win the job. This idea of the business partnership is something that Marc often talks about in the club, and how important it is for talent to collaborate with their representation.
When asked about what she reflects on at the end of each month, she said that she evaluates several things, such as money coming in; how many auditions she did; how many jobs she booked (so she can gauge the efficiency of her auditions); her energy level (something she really needs to consider lately due to her pregnancy); and how much time she’s been spending with her family (hoping that they don’t feel like she’s been neglecting them). She said that she’s learned that “rest is part of the work.” That is excellent advice for anybody who is thinking about their work-life balance regardless of their career.
Erikka talked about how she approaches her reads, saying that sometimes she immediately feels connected to the copy and gets some great takes right away. But, she said, a lot of times it’s not and she’ll stumble through it. Sometimes, she’ll decide not to send it in. Some reading tips that she shared include:
- She keeps props in her booth. If they want a warm read she’ll hold a fleece blanket or stuffed animal to get that tactile feeling of warmth.
- Another example is that for a strong read, she’ll grab a screwdriver or stress ball to get her muscles involved.
- She’ll adjust the lighting in her booth for different moods.
- If she’s feeling anxious, she’ll do a flat read and go through it quickly just to get both the words and the nervous energy out — then she’ll go back and tell the story.
One final piece of advice that Erikka shared was, “You’ve got to remember why you started, and what you love about it, every day.” She said you’ll have bad days and hard times, but it’s important to remember the reasons why you got into voiceover in the first place.
Thanks so much to Marc and Erikka for their advice and insight into the industry, and thanks to the audience questions that helped everyone listening learn so much! Check out the Marc Guss Voiceover Club every Wednesday night on Clubhouse at 8:30 pm ET. You can read more of my recaps of Marc’s Clubhouse rooms by checking out this link.